Should 5-Year-Olds Start School This Year?

[elleng]

'Faced with remote learning or socially distanced classroom options, some parents of rising kindergartners are considering holding their kids back.


Alka Tripathy-Lang’s 5-year-old son is supposed to start kindergarten this fall, but her district in suburban Phoenix has already delayed its start and announced that classes, when they do start, will be online for at least the first couple of weeks.

What those lessons will look like is unclear, as are details about how much parental involvement will be required, and how or when the school is going to implement the dual immersion Mandarin program her son is supposed to begin. Tripathy-Lang’s current plan is to start him in an online-only option, but if it’s not working, she’ll pull him out to be home with her 3-year-old, who she and her husband have already decided not to send to preschool this year.

“I have this low-level anxiety about everything in the background all the time, and a substantial chunk of it is about how I am going to make sure that my kids are getting the experiences they need at this age,” said Tripathy-Lang, a geologist and science writer.">>>

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/23/parenting/school-opening-kindergarten-coronavirus.html?

My daughter is relieved that NJ school systems have been enabled to do 'remote,' so her rising 1st grader will be schooled at home; his 4 year old sister, who turns 5 in October and was 'ready' for kindergarten, will stay at home with him and his mother (and will likely learn 1st grade along with him!) Social activities with contemporaries will pick up again, when safe.

[duforsure]

1. I wouldn't,

The infections rates are too high, and the testing is nowhere near where it should be, or tracing and tracking. Why take a risk for permanent damage to a child of any age , or increase the rate of spreading the virus more in any way until all needed precautions are being practiced, and they produce the real numbers needed to determine the facts . Until they do, it will worsen as we're seeing in cities and states that re-opened too soon.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. No. Especially at that age.

Parents can make their own learning tools, borrowing heavily from Montessori. Introduction of alphabet letter and phonics. Counting. Small motor control. Size and color differentiation. Lots of materials can be made and demonstrated.

The only missing thing is socialization, but at this age, the lack may be negligible, esp. if the five year old has siblings.

[Sherman A1]

3. I don't really think anyone should

Start in-person classes this year.

[GreenPartyVoter]

4. There is nothing wrong with starting school later, and I say this as an educator. We can't teach

the basic socialization skills as per usual right now, and although parents are nervous about it, there is a lot they can do from home to support their child’s education. Really. Slowing down and graduating a year later is only a flaw in the Yuppie-vision of the overachieving USA.

[dewsgirl]

5. My 6 yr old grand daughter will be remote learning.

No way is she going back right now.
It breaks my heart, she's a little social butterfly and hasn't played with any children since March.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

6. Keep in mind that in Finland kids don't start school until age 7.

And they do quite well despite that "late" start. Best school system in the world.

If I could start this life over I would try to see if I could get born in Finland.

[elleng]

7. Wish my grands were there (along with me,

even tho cold.)